Former MotoGP rider Thomas Luthi will retire from active racing at the end of the 2021 Moto2 season and will take up Sporting Director role at Prustel GP.
Having made his MotoGP debut in 2018 with Marc VDS outfit, riding a Honda machine, Luthi was forced to return to Moto2 the following season after a trouble run and lack of budget. His premier class move happened after two solid years in intermediate class.
He finished second in both 2016 and 2017 to Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli, respectively, and moved to MotoGP in 2018. However, he couldn’t score in any of the 18 races and returned to Moto2 in 2019 with Intact GP, riding a Kalex machine.
He finished third in a good show but in 2020, his results dipped, as he was only 11th. The current season hasn’t gone well either, where he sits 23rd in the standings. With days running out, Luthi made the decision to retire from active racing at the end of 2021.
As opposed to moving to a series like World Superbike, Luthi has taken up the Sporting Director role at Prustel GP, which competes in Moto3 class. He will also look after the junior outfit, with Florian Prustel finally getting hands to an expert rider for his outfit.
“My decision that I will end my active career as a professional rider is of course made a lot easier by this opportunity of my involvement as Sports Director at Prustel GP,” said Luthi. “I am very much looking forward to being able to contribute to sporting success in a new role.
“To be able to pass on my experience and to work together with young talents, but also with already very strong riders in the Moto3 World Championship is an exciting new challenge. I am sure that the PrustelGP team and I will complement each other perfectly – the whole project is a synergy that could hardly be better. I’m looking forward to our joint successes and development.”
At the same time, Florian added: “I have been looking for a long time for someone who, as an authentic, experienced expert, can take care of our riders, coordinate their training, accompany them and support them on their way to the top. Thanks to the collaboration with Tom, we have all of this perfectly covered.
“With his 19 years of world championship experience, he knows exactly what is important in racing – especially at the beginning of a career, when you first have to get used to the big, not always easy world of international racing.
“I’m also looking forward to being able to give our partners even more exciting insights into the fascinating world of racing and to having an expert at our side, who can provide such impressions from a completely different perspective. Together, we have thus created a base that gives us the know-how and skills it takes to get to the title.”
